Sound Off for Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013

On snowplowing: I live in Rockport Ridge Subdivision. It’s 2:30 Sunday afternoon, and most of the side streets in the city are plowed, but the plow hasn’t been out here. It’s like the more you pay the worse it gets in our wonderful city of Janesville.

-- Our new city manager has failed his first test here. Major snowfall in Janesville, and all our secondary roads haven’t even been plowed 12 hours later.

On “Duck Dynasty”: Phil Robertson is fired by A&E and being bullied by the Left for making comments offensive to gays, yet Bill Maher and others on the Left smear and denigrate Christians with impunity. Why? The Left exempts itself from its rules on anti-bullying it places on everyone else, but also largely because Christians turn the other cheek.

-- The Left demands tolerance for their views and behaviors no matter how weird or perverted traditional Americans find them, but when someone expresses a view that they disagree with, they demand that person not only be shut up but that their livelihood be taken away. So we’re supposed to also be tolerant of their intolerance.

On congressman: On Page 9A Thursday, Paul Ryan says, “If we don’t get ahead of this, we’re going to hand an inferior standard of living to the next generation.” Mr. Ryan, please go back and check your voting record while “W” was president. As I recall, you started all this.

On taxes: I got my bill from Rock County and Milton. Property value down $11,000; property taxes up $7. Great to live here.

On interchange idea: Props to the town of Fulton for holding a public meeting. The city of Milton has yet to have this on a public meeting agenda.

On older drivers: The Guest View editorial Dec. 19 says we should undergo an extra eye test. We’ve been picked on for a long time. I was stopped on South Main Street facing Centerway. My light turned green, and if I hadn’t looked, I would have been broadsided by some young woman who went through her red light. Blaming us old folks is a bunch of baloney.

On school district: Dec. 19 on WCLO’s morning show, Janesville Superintendent Schulte was laughing about Parker High School students and staff being duct-taped to pylons as a fundraising gimmick. What does the district’s insurance carrier say about this? It is dangerous and could cause health concerns.

-- Schulte states 50 percent of students are on free or reduced-price lunches, yet she also mentions families and students are asked to give to district causes. Asking needy students and families to give to a tax-supported right to public education is unfair and lacks good judgment.

On Blackhawk Tech: If you’re so short of funds, why did you hand out raises this year? It boggles my mind.

On economy: President Obama is saying the economy is getting better and there are more jobs being created. What he doesn’t tell you is these jobs pay $7.25 an hour. We need jobs that pay good wages where people can actually make a living, take vacations and buy stuff to keep other people working.

On loan sharks: Title companies and check-cashing places in Janesville are just loan sharks with high interest rates. You will never get out from under them. The city and state should ban these places. We finally got in contact with a good banker who helped us out.

On General Motors: GM made this a prosperous city, and now that money is gone, but our city officials still want to spend the taxpayer’s money on sidewalks, a new splash park at Riverside Park and whatnot. GM is gone, folks; the candy train has left

On Jay Winzenz: The city made a major faux pas passing Jay over for city manager. Hopefully, he doesn’t leave this city and end up becoming a city administrator someplace else.

On new casino: Regarding Page 2A Monday, my guess is Gov. Walker will put off the decision until after he adds up his campaign donations and to see where they came from.

On jobs: I subscribe to a Wisconsin magazine. I had a question on the subscription, and it goes to a company in Florida. Because of a promotion deal, I called the Wisconsin number, and she says just a minute I’ll transfer you, and then I’m talking to a lady from Cincinnati. No wonder we can’t keep jobs in Wisconsin.

On Parkview: The curriculum and teachers at Parkview High School are as good as anywhere in the state. The problem lies in the crumbling dinosaur of a building that needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Vote “yes.”